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Whole Foods CEO: 'Business Has Been Hated by the Intellectuals and Elites for All Time'

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey delivered the opening keynote address for the International Students for Liberty Conference this weekend. Mackey stressed that capitalism has the power to eradicate poverty in the next century, expressed concern over capitalism’s “branding problem”, and maintained that “self-interest” alone is an insufficient moral foundation for the system. The themes presented by Mackey closely followed the premises of his new book, Conscious Capitalism.

Mackey’s analysis re-framed the issue of income inequality. Proponents of government control often point to wealth disparity as a social evil resulting from capitalism. However, Mackey noted that since capitalism’s development just over 200 years ago, overall global per capita prosperity has increased 10x. In nations which have embraced capitalism, the jump in prosperity is even more fantastic—35x in Japan, 100x in the United States, and 200x in South Korea. As Mackey stated, “Capitalism is ending poverty on planet earth. The problem is not that there is an unequal distribution of wealth in the world. The problem is that there is an unequal distribution of capitalism.”

As if the left ever really cared about real solutions to poverty. The more uninformed you are, the more your kept back from realizing economic liberty, the more likely you are to vote demagogue... err I mean democrat.

Everybody could have a skycar and an automatic food dispenser, and for political reasons there would still be poverty. No matter how materially well-off people are, there are always quintiles of income and political mileage to be made in favoring one end or the other of the spectrum through government spending.

“Intellectuals resent having less money than ‘less intelligent’ businesspeople, and their status is much lower in a capitalistic society.”

Heh, heh. Ain't it th' troof!

There is a lot in the article that I agree with, but when politicians see that there are people who cannot do as well as others, they view those low performers as victims. Then the politicians try to save them.

Of course, in return for being saved the poor people are expected to repay the saviors, so having a great many dependent, poor people guarantees the predator party (That would be the Dems) a certain number of votes. That's when the system all goes to hell.

As long as there are powerful centrally controlled economies and people taxed to death throughout the free world, there will be poverty. It isn't that we do not have enough food. It is the access to healthy affordable food that keeps people malnourished and sick. Whole foods is a great company. One of the few.

Gun Control: The theory that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her panty hose, is somehow morally superior to a woman explaining to police how her attacker got that fatal bullet wound - Unknown

"The efforts of the government alone will never be enough. In the end the people must choose and the people must help themselves" ~ JFK; from his famous inauguration speech (What Democrats sounded like before today's neo-Liberals hijacked that party)

As long as there are powerful centrally controlled economies and people taxed to death throughout the free world, there will be poverty. It isn't that we do not have enough food. It is the access to healthy affordable food that keeps people malnourished and sick. Whole foods is a great company. One of the few.

I agree with you.

This is why we need religion and ethics. No economic system is a moral or ethical good in itself and all systems can be exploited. Allowing all people to buy and sell what they produce and profit on their hard work is inherently ethical, but systems of capital can be easily swallowed by greed, and moral responsibility can drown in pride and arrogance. (There's a reason for the seven deadly sins being "deadly.") This is why you need a strong ethical and spiritual system that reminds everyone that while they should enjoy the fruits of their labor, that all ultimately draws from God, and all of God's creatures need to be respected and cared for. The Bible constantly reminds people to look out for the widow and the orphan. You don't just leave them on the street since you "have yours."

We also need the people at the top of the capitalistic food chain to be imbued with the same moral and ethical system as those at the bottom.

I don't know if poverty can be totally eradicated, depending on how we define poverty or wealth, for that matter.

I have a good life-I want for no material goods or needs, I have what I need, and I never am hungry in any real sense. I am thankful for that, but I want more. I can't help it, I want pretty shiny jewelry, like emeralds and diamonds, I want a fancier car, I want, I want, I want things as badly as any 2 year old at Toys R Us.

How can the poverty of others be ended without impacting my comfortable lifestyle? That is pretty much how most people who are not poor, yet not wealthy see the situation. And, it is human nature to always want more than we have.

This is why we need religion and ethics. No economic system is a moral or ethical good in itself and all systems can be exploited. Allowing all people to buy and sell what they produce and profit on their hard work is inherently ethical, but systems of capital can be easily swallowed by greed, and moral responsibility can drown in pride and arrogance. (There's a reason for the seven deadly sins being "deadly.") This is why you need a strong ethical and spiritual system that reminds everyone that while they should enjoy the fruits of their labor, that all ultimately draws from God, and all of God's creatures need to be respected and cared for. The Bible constantly reminds people to look out for the widow and the orphan. You don't just leave them on the street since you "have yours."

We also need the people at the top of the capitalistic food chain to be imbued with the same moral and ethical system as those at the bottom.

I just need to point out that the 7 deadly sins are found nowhere in the Bible. They were made up by Pope Gregory I. Although there are since in Proverbs, they are things that God detests but the concept of deadly sins was created by Gregory. That said, I think it's funny that the CEO of the bastion of retail liberalism gets it while the vast majority of his customer base does not.

I don't know if poverty can be totally eradicated, depending on how we define poverty or wealth, for that matter.

How can the poverty of others be ended without impacting my comfortable lifestyle? That is pretty much how most people who are not poor, yet not wealthy see the situation. And, it is human nature to always want more than we have.

Viewing the economy as a pie ... some people will always have a larger slice of it than others. The real diff in how people view it is that govt educated, low information voters, the media and their demagogue idols in orifice view the pie as static. Therefor if anyone gets a bigger piece, then somebody else must settle for a smaller piece. Conservative view the pie, ie the economy as ever contracting or expanding depending on how much the govt either interferes with the free market or unleashes it.

Other countries could eliminate huge tracts of the poor if they simply emulated us and tried capitalism. And some of them are, to one degree or another. It not only helps those at the bottom but also those greedy bastards at the top who run those countries like China and Russia. Unfortunately we now have a govt that seeks to emulate the old China and Russia that nearly brought them to ruin.

Soon we will all be equally miserable here. But the rich... they will simply pick up their marbles and go somewhere else that appreciates them more. They, like many of us who are increasingly in the minority, prefer an environment where the idea of expanding the pie for everybody is not viewed with contempt.

I just need to point out that the 7 deadly sins are found nowhere in the Bible. They were made up by Pope Gregory I. Although there are since in Proverbs, they are things that God detests but the concept of deadly sins was created by Gregory. That said, I think it's funny that the CEO of the bastion of retail liberalism gets it while the vast majority of his customer base does not.

They don't need to be found in the Bible. Just watching the world you can see the 7 deadlies and old Gregory was smart to codify them. He also compiled all the chant tradition which gives Western music history an actual documented beginning.

That being said, I think it's ironic that Whole Foods' rich customer base spends its time supporting a President who wants to redistribute their wealth.